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Can I use silicone to seal the holes where wires go into the air handler? I have read that silicone while curing can mess up electronics if you put it directly on copper, because of acetic acid, but the wires are insulated.

I've done that several times, works really good when you don't have any gromets to keep the wire from getting chaffed.

It will be a PITA to get new wires in, or old wires out of that, so use it sparingly.

One more thing, if there's no air leaking from the holes where the wires go through, you probably don't have to worry about sealing it up tight though. If you're worried about the wires getting nicked on the case of the furnace, just get a grommet or split a piece of small hose to use as a makeshift grommet.

Sealers

First off. As far as getting messy.I get paid quite well to get messy.If you pay attention to the sequence of the assembly process you can minimize how much of the stuff you take home with you in your hair.And you want to be careful of that.If you take TO MUCH it might be considerd enployee theft:} I REALLY like the foil backed mastic tape.But the cost is somewhat prohibitive.When your starting out with fifteen feet of sixteen inch round going to a couple of elbows to jockey around a support beam.Than a reducer to another ten or fifteen feet of fourteen inch round.Then a fourteen to twelve inch reducer.a couple of five footers of twelve and a plug your talking fourty one feet of the stuff just for the trunk line.Thats not including sixteen to twenty plus take offs or branch lines!!! So a little messy is what it is.A word of caution for the people out there who have not used mastic. IF you get it in your hair.DON'T let it dry.Cause when you get home and show you just might start going bald before your time:{ ....:}
41GASMAN

This thread is a shame! You people should know better. LEAVE this job to a PROFESSIONAL duct sealer also called a lagger. Sealing and lagging is a specialty. This is not something for an HVAC technician, duct installer or homeowner to attempt themselves.

You people have already admitted that you are messy when you attempt to do this highly specialized work yourselves. You are simply not qualified for this work. You need to call a certified sealer and lagger who has taken the time to learn the trade, pass a series of exams and become certified. Besides this can be dangerous work to perform.

The national association of duct sealers and laggers have their own website where they post photos of what they call the "Wall Of Shame". It is full of photos of sealing jobs that were done by non-professional heating and cooling people who thought they could do it themselves. (DIYers, they call us)

The sealers and laggers post day and night on their site and they make fun of us all the time. They are making us look like fools. Please stop and call a pro and get the job done right!

Please don't tell me you think I am being serious! I am poking fun at those of us who continually inform homeowners that they need to call a pro for every little thing they attempt to do for themselves related to our industry. As if there are no DIYers capable of performing at least some HVAC work for themselves.